


Shut the Windows of the Sky

by Elleth



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Auroras, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Post-Second Adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 18:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16310714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elleth/pseuds/Elleth
Summary: Sigrun makes plans to see the Northern Lights, but a certain Fuzzy-Head keeps crossing her ideas for reasons of her own.





	Shut the Windows of the Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kiraly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraly/gifts).



> A little gift for the lovely Kiraly as a Yuletide 2018 NYR fic. ♥

"Eeee, I can't believe I'm going to see the auroras! Here, I mean. I saw them lots of times in - in - _Finland_ , but… it's special with you. And it'll be so nice to be outside again after all that snow!!" 

"And you're sure this is a good idea?" Sigrun asked as she tugged the straps and buckles of her winter gear into place, and another small avalanche rumbled down the slope of the longhouse roof above their heads. It had been days of heavy snowfall and wind piling up freezing drifts that came loose at the slightest provocation, but Sigrun had to admit - both of them were restless, and she _had_ promised Tuuri to take her up into the mountains to show her the northern lights even before the storm had hit. "There'll be zero troll activity, but you and your stumpy legs probably won't get too far. And avalanches aren't fun."

"Wait, that doesn't sound like - _Onni_ , what did you do with my girlfriend and where is she?" Tuuri giggled and ducked the swing of Sigrun's arm aimed to ruffle her hair. 

"If _I'm_ here - Iceland, probably snogging Freckles to stay warm right this moment! She's got taste, you know, if your type is tall gorgeous redhead… must be a Hotakainen thing." Sigrun tried and failed to keep the laughter out of her voice, dipped low as she could go in a terrible imitation of Onni.

Tuuri joined the laughter, secretly relieved that Sigrun was letting it go. "Let me show you just how much of a Hotakainen thing it is…" With Sigrun's bed helping her height difference as she clambered up, Tuuri almost came up to Sigrun's eye-level. It made kissing - and reaching Sigrun in the first place - that much easier.

The northern lights over Dalsnes came and went unremarked by either Sigrun or Tuuri, but when patrol bragged about the spectacular sky display they had witnessed during the night at the next morning's meadhall meeting, Sigrun could not muster an ounce of regret to have missed them all. 

* 

"Hey, Fuzzy! Sanne Malik says there's a good chance of lights tonight, and I'm all done captaining for tonight, how about it?" Sigrun fell onto the kitchen bench by the oven with an audible 'oof' and leaned her head back against the warm tiles, closing her eyes. "Once I thaw a little, patrol got a bit windy up the fjord, but there's some sheltered spots you'd like. Or maybe the station..." 

Tuuri, who had looked up from her book when Sigrun came clattering into the room, blinked. "Sanne the mage? I thought you said she was a boring old hen." She tugged her blanket back into place and nestled deeper into it, even though the kitchen with its oven was the warmest room in the house.

"Sure is, but doesn't mean she can't do a fair deal of weather magery. It's useful sometimes." Sigrun shrugged. "So that's a no?" 

"Ah, uhm… maybe? I…" Tuuri scratched the side of her neck and hastily clenched her hands in her lap when she spotted Sigrun's eyes narrowing. "I'm sorry. I'd rather stay in. It's…" 

"It's?" Sigrun rose and came to stand behind Tuuri's chair, resting her cold hands on Tuuri's shoulders, peeling away the collar of her woolly turtleneck. She breathed a sigh of relief when all that showed was normal-looking skin. Tuuri averted her head. "Yeah. It's… that day. The third year since." 

The hands withdrew for a moment. From the corner of her eyes Tuuri could see Sigrun hovering, then her hands re-settled on Tuuri's shoulders more resolutely, massaging at the remembered hurt, although her voice had lost its cheer in favour of a low, worried rumble. "And that's a reason to stay in and be gloomy? Won't the northern lights cheer you up? It'd take your mind off… stuff."

Tuuri shook her head and leaned back against Sigrun's chest. "I have some chocolate saved for today from Reynir's last package, and there's still plenty of milk in the pantry, and I wouldn't mind sharing."

"Hot chocolate, hm? Sounds like you have the right idea. Just - one thing I'm not getting, you were so excited first time." Sigrun nuzzled Tuuri's hair, and Tuuri ducked again. "It's just… nothing. I'd just like to stay inside."

"Okay, it's hot chocolate night," Sigrun sighed. "Still plenty of nights ahead for the northern lights. More than daylight, for a while. We can catch them anytime, I'll even talk to Sanne again for you."

Tuuri nodded, slipped out of the blanket she was wrapped in, and wandered into the pantry to return to the kitchen with a jug of milk, some sugar, and a wrinkled foil package that Sigrun suspected hid Tuuri's chocolate. She was smiling. 

"Give me a hand hacking this to pieces?" 

"Sure thing, Fuzzy-head. I'm an expert at that." Sigrun returned the smile, relieved to see one on Tuuri's face. 

Tuuri had closed the shutters to the kitchen windows even before Sigrun had come in, but even with the view of the fjord and the harbour barred, Sigrun had to admit that it wasn't the worst thing to stay in sipping hot chocolate with Tuuri leaning against her, either, and the way the hot chocolate tasted from her lips.

Like she had said before, there were plenty of nights to go outside, and now that temperatures were dipping down into the coldest part of winter, they'd not have to fear troll activity for a while longer. Tuuri couldn't stall going outside forever.

* 

The snow crunched under Sigrun's boots and rolled down into her tracks from the trail Tuuri made shuffling next to her. 

"Pff," Tuuri breathed when they were only halfway up the twists of the road up Tvereggen, and hunched over with her hands on her knees. "If this isn't worth it, I'll slide back down and you can't stop me." Sigrun snorted. Under Tuuri's woollen hat, her face was red and sweaty. 

"If you do that, Apple Cheeks, I'll make sure you become a snowman. Come on, it's not that far to the top now! And the view is great, just look!" Sigrun flung out her arm gesturing the treeless slope, to the fjord in the dim, and the glint of the lights of Dalnes at the head of the water. One of the longships was making ready to sail for a night hunt, after an incoming trader had reported a pod of sea beasts. It was not quite dark enough to call it night yet, and the snow helped lighting the scenery, but the sun had vanished behind the mountains hours ago and dipped Dalsnes into twilight. 

"It's… nice?" Tuuri ventured once she'd caught her breath again. It was a beautiful view, the slopes overgrown with young trees after the latest cleansing effort a few years ago that pierced through the top of the snow, and the spectacular view Sigrun had indicated. "I'm… I'm looking forward to the lights. Can we see the water from where we're going?" 

"Sure thing. Once we're up, there's only a little ways to go, it's the top of the hill. There's a hunters' station up there in case something comes up; the roof's got the _best_ view. There's even lawn chairs mounted up there! But you'll see!" Sigrun sounded so gleeful that Tuuri had to laugh, even though she still hadn't quite caught her breath, and the prospect of the auroras left her queasy with memory. 

Sigrun meant well, after all. She probably didn't even remember.

They arrived at the station not long after, just as darkness was settling more deeply on the landscape and the stars were coming out, and as Sigrun helped Tuuri up the iced-over stairs to a flat part of the roof where the promised chairs were mounted, Tuuri couldn't help but gasp at the promised sight. Sigrun hadn't exaggerated: The rock face dropped off sharply at the back of the hut, and it seemed like the sky stretched all the way to Tuuri's feet and past them further down to the star-studded water of the fjord. The ship they'd seen preparing earlier had set out and was almost at the mouth of the fjord, leaving behind a trail of ripples on the glassy surface. That alone almost made it worth it.

As Tuuri settled into the chair and Sigrun folded herself in alongside into it, bringing blankets with her from inside the station, Tuuri fell quiet. Cramped as the arrangement was even with their legs tangled and bodies close, she sighed deeply, pulling the icy air deep into her lungs as a reminder.

"What's wrong?" Sigrun asked, nudging Tuuri's cheek with her nose. 

"Nothing. Nothing _now_ , at least," Tuuri answered, her voice low and contemplative. "Just… memories. Do... do you remember Tuonela?" 

Sigrun propped herself up on one elbow. "Some. I remember more of Onni's little redemption trek through Finland he had for us. The mages did quite a number on me trying to help me work through the underworld stuff, and plenty of it got muddled. But why think about that now?" 

As Sigrun talked, a first finger of light stretched from the sky as a green glow fading into violet, followed by a blaze of ripples and curtains. Tuuri rested her head against the crook of Sigrun's shoulder, half under the blankets, and closed her eyes against the sky and against the tears that suddenly threatened to spill. 

"Because of them. I just… y-you liked the idea so much I didn't want to spoil it, so I pretended I liked it and tried to distract you instead, but it just makes me think of… not being alive. Whenever I woke up in Tuonela and I could see through the ice, there were auroras. It was almost all I could see before you came to get me out."

Sigrun was quiet for a long time, but her hand came to shade Tuuri's eyes almost at once, wiping at the tear tracks that showed on her cheeks, and she leaned over Tuuri for good measure, blocking out most of the sky with her body. "I didn't remember. You could have said something?" She sounded almost at a loss. "There's beds down, and a fireplace. If you want to go inside…"

"Let's… let's stay. Maybe… it's not Tuonela here. I've got the whole sky to see, and you're here." Tuuri's smile was hesitant, but it was there. You said they were going to be spectacular tonight, and at least over here I know it's not the foxes." 

"Nah, it's not foxes. It's the Valkyries having fun up there; that's pretty cool, isn't it?" 

Tuuri snorted. "M-maybe, as long as they leave us alone." 

"I'll fight them all if they come crashing our date. No afterlives for either of us for a really long time, okay? I'll make sure of that." Sigrun bent to kiss Tuuri, and Tuuri's body rose against Sigrun's under the blankets, one hand roaming under Sigrun's thick winter gear until they were both breathless, equal parts distraction and... distraction. 

When Sigrun next looked up, the lights had faded for a sky full of stars. "There, they heard me; scared them off." She tried for a grin. "And I'll do the same with any other death… stuff, like Swans, how's that?" 

Tuuri squirmed so she had a free view of the sky without Sigrun's hair in her face. "I like that plan. But I'm getting cold, you're going to have to try harder to keep me warm before I'm an icicle." 

"Oh, with pleasure!" 

If the lights returned that night, neither of them still noticed.

**Author's Note:**

> The title was borrowed from James Thomson's 'Castle of Indolence'. 
> 
> Wikipedia tells me that the version of the Valkyries (or reflections on their armour) causing the northern lights is not accurate to Norse Mythology, but it feels like an idea that the Dalsnes folks would appreciate (and they'd not necessarily be aware that it's inaccurate), so I adopted it anyway. Tuuri's reference to the foxes is from the Finnish term "Revontulet", fox-fires; see aRTD for some fun with the concept.


End file.
